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Best Interview Questions to Ensure Your Candidate’s Teamwork Skills

Posted May 15th, 2018

Conducting an interview isn’t always a straightforward process. To secure the best possible talent, it’s critical you ask the right questions. For team-oriented jobs and collaborative workplaces, this means asking questions that showcase a recruit’s ability to work with others and get along with their peers on a day-to-day basis.

What Team-Based Roles Have You Played in the Past?

This question gives you a solid understanding of the applicant’s experience with team-oriented jobs. Recruits who are fresh out of school might not have much at all, while veteran professionals have likely held multiple team-based roles.

However, the fact that an applicant doesn’t have prior experience as part of a professional team shouldn’t immediately disqualify them from the role. Many workers excel as team members and even team leaders – they just haven’t been given the chance to shine.

What Do You Believe Makes a Team Successful?

Open-ended questions like this serve a dual purpose. Not only do they give you a picture of the applicant’s ideal team, but they also make them think on the fly. This isn’t a simple yes or no question and there isn’t necessarily any right or wrong answers – it’s all based on the recruit’s past experiences, their expectations and their creativity.

Can You Provide a Real-Life Example of Team-Based Success?

Another open-ended question, this also requires the applicant to draw on their past experience. While novice workers might not have any examples to provide, those who have been in the workforce for years will likely have plenty of examples to provide.

How Do You Overcome Difficult Teammates?

No team is perfect. Personalities sometimes clash and others just don’t work well with others. Asking an applicant to describe their experience with bad teammates – and how they overcame these situations – can provide you with valuable insight.

It’s a question that demonstrates their skills in conflict resolution and problem-solving as well as their ability to adapt to difficult assignments on a day-to-day basis. As Automation Personnel Services works with recruits of varying skill levels, this question also helps you determine whether a specific applicant is right for your temporary job.

Acquiring Your Newest Teammates

We consider all our clients and recruits as a part of the Automation Personnel Services team. We work with employers and employees alike to match top talent with some of the best opportunities in the light industrial industry. To find out more information, or to get started today, contact us immediately!